After two losses on the trot, Macarthur FC will look to bounce back when they tackle Western Sydney Wanderers on Monday, January 1, 2024.
The round 10 A-League clash will be played at Parramatta, with a 5pm kick-off.
Bulls occupied top spot on the ladder for just one week, courtesy of two defeats in a row, first 3-0 to Wellington Phoenix at Campbelltown in round 8 and then 3-2 to Glory in Perth.
Macarthur were up 2-0 against Perth before conceding three second half goals to return home empty handed.
A week earlier they were comprehensively done over 3-0 by current ladder leaders Wellington Phoenix.
There’s no doubt that in the Phoenix game the Bulls looked tired after some busy scheduling that included flying to Asia for Cup matches.
Head coach Mile Sterjovski will have more concerns over his team’s capitulation in Perth than the fatigue on display at Campbelltown a week earlier.
But he will know the task against the Wanderers on Monday won’t be an easy one and defence will be key after conceding six goals in those two games.
On top of that, he has to deal with a short turnaround to round 11 when the Bulls return home to host Newcastle Jets just five days later, on Friday, January 5.
Kick off for that clash at Campbelltown Stadium is 7.45pm.
The statistics are also further evidence the Bulls will need to produce a blinder against Western Sydney if they are to return home with some premiership points.
According to Opta Facts, Western Sydney Wanderers FC are unbeaten in their last four A-League games against Macarthur FC (two wins, two draws), including 4-0 wins in each of their last two encounters at CommBank Stadium.
The Wanderers have kept four clean sheets across their last five A-League games at home.
In a more cheerful statistic for the Bulls, Western Sydney conceded four goals to the Melbourne Victory in the remaining game in that period.
